Meeting_Body
MEASURE M INDEPENDENT TAXPAYER OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE
OCTOBER 3, 2024
Subject
SUBJECT: TRANSIT AND HIGHWAY CAPITAL PROJECTS
Action
ACTION: ORAL REPORT
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE oral report on Transit and Highway Capital Projects to support discussion on the effective and efficient use of funds.
Issue
ISSUE
To support the objectives of the Measure M Independent Taxpayer Oversight Committee in monitoring the effective and efficient uses of tax revenue funds, this report provides progress updates on transit and highway capital projects as identified by the Measure M Ordinance and Expenditure Plan. This quarterly presentation is prepared by Program Management with support from Program Controls for projects in the construction phase, and by Countywide Planning and Development for projects in the planning phase of development.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
This report is provided on a regular basis and includes high-level summary updates on multiple projects. Equity considerations are provided in this quarter’s report as a baseline summary. Future reports in this quarterly series will provide updates from the prior quarter, if any.
Transit and Highways Capital Projects
Gold Line Foothill Ext. Phase 2B: Equity - 25% (1 of 4 stations) within or adjacent to Equity Focus Communities (EFC)
LAX/Metro Transit Center (AMC): Equity - 100% within or adjacent to EFCs
Westside Purple Line - Section 3: Equity - 50% (1 of 2 stations) within or adjacent to EFCs
1-5 North County Enhancements: Equity - this project is not within or adjacent to EFCs
I-105 Express Lanes: Equity - 92% within or adjacent to EFCs
G Line BRT Improvements Project: Equity - 88% (15 of 17 stations) within or adjacent to EFCs
East San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor: Equity - 70% within or adjacent to EFCs
North Hollywood to Pasadena BRT Project: Equity - 60% within or adjacent to EFCs
North San Fernando Transit Corridor Project: Equity - 42% within or adjacent to EFCs
Transit Planning Projects
Southeast Gateway Line: Entire corridor is an Environmental Justice Community, based on the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Environmental Justice Guidance under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Project incorporated 2022 EFC information and data in its Final EIS/EIR analysis.
Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2: EFCs are located within a half mile of each of the 7 proposed stations. The Project will benefit communities along the eastern portion of LA County. The full 9-mile project alignment traverses six (6) jurisdictions or neighborhoods with EFCs, and there are 2,281 transit-dependent households along the project alignment and 1,828 households along the 4.6-mile initial operating segment to the Greenwood Station. The Project will benefit these EFCs and other communities along the eastern portion of LA County and the cities of Commerce, Montebello, Pio Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, and Whittier. The LPA to Greenwood will serve the highest concentration of EFCs in East LA and the cities of Commerce and Montebello.
Sepulveda Transit Corridor: EFCs have been identified within the study area in San Fernando Valley and near UCLA. The project team will use the 2022 EFC definition for upcoming analyses supporting the CEQA process.
C Line Extension to Torrance: Lawndale, one of the three cities in the project area, includes EFCs (based on 2022 updated data). Travel patterns and projected ridership show that the Project will expand transit service and accessibility for many EFCs to connect to major job centers in the South Bay and serve low-income, zero-vehicle households, and Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (BIPOC) populations throughout LA County who make up most of the Metro’s existing rail ridership.
K Line (Northern Extension): Study area includes EFCs in Mid-City and Hollywood and includes neighborhoods in which a significant proportion of residents are transit dependent. Projected travel patterns and ridership show that the Project will serve many EFCs along the K Line, connecting people to jobs, schools and services. Transit dependent residents are disproportionately impacted by long travel times and crowding on the existing transit system.
Complete Streets and Highways Projects
SR-71 South Segment Improvements (Phase 1): The Project is in the City of Pomona, a city with EFCs that is also reported to be a disadvantaged community, as defined by SB 535 Disadvantaged Communities using CalEnviroScreen 4.0 results, with a median household income of $67,549, which is 18% lower than the median annual income across the entire state. The SR-71 South Segment (Phase 1) is under construction and will be open to traffic next Fall. It is anticipated the Project will provide numerous operational and safety benefits; multimodal options (new HOV lane); improve travel speeds; reduce bottlenecks, queues and vehicle idling to help improve air quality for residents in Pomona and the surrounding community.
SR-71 North Segment Improvements (Phase 2): The SR-71 North Segment (Phase 2) extends the proposed improvements along the corridor two miles north to the I-10 freeway in the City of Pomona. It is anticipated Phase 2 design work will resume this quarter (FY25, Q1); and the same transportation benefits will be realized as Phase 1, including increased local connectivity and more multimodal options (replacement of an existing pedestrian overcrossing); and goods movement (after reconstructing two rail overpasses to facilitate safer double-stacking of rail cars; and quicker and smoother movement of freight to major east-west corridors.
SR-57/SR-60 Interchange Improvements: The project area is located within or directly adjacent to EFCs. Implementation of the Project will not result in the displacement of, or other negative impacts to, disadvantaged or low-income communities. EFCs are located within 10 miles to the east, northeast, and west of the project location.
I-405 South Bay Curve Improvements (I-105 to Artesia Boulevard - Auxiliary Lanes): The Project will implement high-visibility crosswalks, leading pedestrian intervals, visual and auditory pedestrian countdown timers, touchless pushbuttons, and wayfinding cyclist signage to enable safer travel within the project area. The planned improvements are within Caltrans’ right-of-way and will not require residential displacements. There is one Metro-designated EFC within the project area in the City of Lawndale.
I-405 South Bay Curve Improvements (I-110 to Wilmington Avenue - Auxiliary Lanes): The Project will implement complete streets and multimodal transportation options, such as and not limited to Class I and II bicycle facilities, sidewalk and street crossing improvements and transit signal priority where possible and as warranted. Public involvement efforts include a multilingual hybrid outreach that provides multiple opportunities for stakeholders and the public to review and provide feedback on project-related information. There are no Metro-designated EFCs within the proposed project area, but there is an EFC within one mile of the proposed project area. The planned improvements are within the Caltrans right-of-way and will not require residential displacements.
SR-14 Improvements (Newhall Avenue Undercrossing to Pearblossom Highway): Some communities within the project area in the cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Santa Clarita, and unincorporated Los Angeles County fall within Metro-designated EFCs. Safety improvements are anticipated to benefit travel to and from these communities and reduce crashes/injuries.
Other Non-Recurring Project
High Desert Corridor (HDC Joint Powers Authority): The entire Project area falls within low-income communities and households as defined by AB 1550. A significant portion also falls within the disadvantaged communities, as defined by SB 535. The Project also traverses through Metro's Equity Focus Communities in the Antelope Valley, including the cities of Palmdale, Lancaster, and unincorporated Los Angeles County. In addition, residents within the Project area are predominantly from Black, Indigenous, and Other People of Color (BIPOC) populations, between 61% and 77%, with the highest percentage of BIPOC populations in the City of Palmdale. Many of the populations include people with limited English proficiency.
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Transit and Highways Capital Update
Attachment B - Transit Planning Project Update
Attachment C - Complete Streets & Highways Project Update
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Allison Yoh, Deputy Chief Planning and Development Officer (Interim),
(213) 922-4812
Julie Owen, Senior Executive Officer, Program Management Oversight,
(213) 922-7313
Michelle E. Smith, Executive Officer, Complete Streets & Highways,
(213) 547-4368
Avital Barnea, Senior Executive Officer, Multimodal Integrated Planning, (213) 547-4317
David Mieger, Senior Executive Office, Mobility Corridors, (213) 922-3040
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning and Development Officer, (213) 547-4274
Tim Lindholm, Chief Program Management Officer, (213) 922-7297